"The Arab Awakening and the Media" Through Khanfar's Eyes

Bahçeşehir University will host a prominent figure from the Arab world.Waddah Khanfar, invited to Türkiye by the Prime Ministry's Office of Public Diplomacy, will give a conference on "The Arab Awakening and the Media" on Wednesday, 16 May at 15:00 in the Bahçeşehir University B Conference Hall.

The Arab world, whose societies have been described as closed and static, has witnessed significant changes in the last few years. This demand for change came neither through the elites holding political control nor from traditional opposition movements. A young, educated generation with growing ties to the world, making the most of social media, sparked the change in the Arab world. New media and new communication channels created a dynamic network and contributed to shaping the Arab world.

HE WILL ASSESS THE MEDIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Waddah Khanfar, who currently chairs Sharq Forum, an independent think tank in the Middle East, previously headed Al Jazeera, which during the Arab Spring produced broadcasts that made a strong impact not only in the region but throughout the world. Interpreting the "Arab Spring," which began in Tunisia and then spread to Egypt and other countries, in light of his media experience, Khanfar will assess the media's contribution to developments in the Middle East. Addressing the role of the media in political and social transformations, Khanfar will also outline a framework for the developments that have deeply affected the Arab world. Discussing the effects of social media on the transformation of traditional structures, Khanfar will focus on the causes of the "Arab awakening."

KHANFAR AMONG THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

Named among the world's most influential people by Foreign Policy magazine in 2011, Waddah Khanfar was born in Palestine in 1968. He graduated from the University of Jordan and received graduate education in Philosophy and International Relations. He not only turned Al Jazeera from a small channel into a large broadcasting network airing in Arabic, English and other regional languages, but also placed it among the world's most influential media organizations.